The Authentic Italian Table, 20 June 2021, Shanghai

"The Authentic Italian Table" was organized by The China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC)  on Sunday 20 June 2021 at The Shangrila Jingan Hotel, in Shanghai.

This year's edition saw wide participation: 17 vendors shared their authentic Italian products, 7 industry experts shared their informative knowledge, while more than 130 guests attended the event.

The event opened with the opening remarks by Alessandra Palumbo, Commercial Consul of Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, who gave a warm welcome to all the participants.

Following, Cristiano Varotti, Head of Shanghai Office of ENIT – Italian National Tourist Board, outlined the essential connection between food and travel destinations.

Immediately after, CICC Vice Chairman (Shanghai), Valtero Canepa, shared his own experience, highlighting the meaning and importance of the authenticity of Italian food and wine. He also gave advice to the public on how to choose the proper product.

Then, Prof. Andrea Lorenzo Baldini, Director of NJU Center for Sino-Italian Cultural Studies, gave an engaging speech regarding "Culinary Authenticity", discussing the main theme of the event from a cultural and historical point of view. As pointed out by Mr. Baldini, "Experiencing Italian authentic food is much more than simply eating something delicious. It is about connecting with the heritage, the history, and the culture of Italy".

At the end of the presentation, the public was invited to participate in an exhibition tour of the F&B Companies, where they had the opportunity to learn more about authentic Italian products and to taste them.

During the event, a series of activities were also organized to actively involve the participants.

One of the activities was the professional cooking show by the experienced Italian Chef Riccardo Messina from "The Lab", who presented two typical Italian dishes made with DOP and IGP certified Italian products. 

After the show, a qualified jury of experts and the participants tasted the dishes prepared by various chefs and voted for the "Best Regional Dish AIT Shanghai 2021".

Following, a Round Table took place with a focus on "Enogastronomic Tourism". The Round Table was moderated by Cristina Corsini, Coordinator of the CICC Food & Beverage Working Group. It involved the following speakers and experts in the field: Cristiano Varotti, Head of Shanghai office of ENIT Italian National Tourist Board; Nicola Sifone, Italian Official Tour Guide; Sara Zhang, Lifestyle KOL, Digital Marketing Expert, Host and Producer of ''Connoisseur'' Wine Show; and Edward Liu, President of Sinodrink.

Some of the guests also had the opportunity to participate in a Wine Tasting, enjoying different Italian DOC and DOCG wines.

The event continued with an "Italian Pasta Competition".  Four dishes from four regions were prepared by the following chefs: Riccardo Messina, from "The Lab", representing Lombardia, prepared Pasta with gorgonzola and nuts; Roberto Bernasconi, from "Porto Matto" Restaurant, representing Toscana and Liguria, prepared "Spaghetti al Fumo" and  "Gnocchi with pesto"; Carmine Darienzo, from "Mammamia!" Restaurant, representing Campania, prepared "Ravioli capresi".

The event concluded with a Quiz session with Lucky draw.